Noted Russian theater and film director Kirill Serebrennikov has left Russia after a court canceled the suspended three-year prison sentence he was handed in an embezzlement case that many have called politically motivated.
French cinema expert Joel Chapron posted a picture on Facebook of Serebrennikov taken at the Place de la Bastille in Paris on March 29.
In the photo, Serebrennikov is wearing a T-shirt with a slogan, saying: "I'm turning off the TV," a reference to the state propaganda spread by Russian television to justify Moscow's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
"Great news in these awful times: Kirill Serebrennikov is out of Russia!" Chapron wrote.
A court in Moscow on March 28 canceled Serebrennikov's sentence and also ruled to wipe out his criminal record because half of his suspended sentence had passed without any violations of the parole-like restrictions imposed on him. Serebrennikov also "fully paid off all fines and fully compensated all damages," it added.
Serebrennikov's co-defendants, theater producers, Yury Itin and Aleksei Malobrodsky, were also found guilty of embezzlement and received three-year and two-year suspended sentences respectively. Both also received steep fines.
The fourth defendant, a former employee of the Culture Ministry, Sofia Apfelbaum, was found guilty of negligence.
The court also ordered Serebrennikov, Itin, and Malobrodsky to repay nearly 129 million rubles ($1.7 million at the exchange rates of that time), which the court concluded they had embezzled.
Serebrennikov has been hailed as a daring and innovative force on Russia's modern art scene, potentially putting him at odds with cultural conservatives.
He also has taken part in anti-government protests and voiced concern about the growing influence of the Russian Orthodox church in the country.
SEE ALSO: Curtains Close On Theater Of The 'Absurd' In Russian Director's Fraud CaseThe case against Serebrennikov and his associates, first launched in August 2017, drew international attention and prompted accusations that Russian authorities were targeting cultural figures who are at loggerheads with President Vladimir Putin and his government.
Prominent Russian and international actors, writers, and directors have expressed their support for Serebrennikov and his colleagues.
Serebrennikov, Itin, Malobrodsky, and Apfelbaum were accused of embezzling state funds that were granted from 2011 to 2014 to Seventh Studio, a nonprofit organization established by Serebrennikov, for a project called Platforma.
All four have denied any wrongdoing.